NBA draft lottery: Lakers to get seventh pick

NEW YORK >> It turns out the Jerry Buss and Chick Hearn bobbleheads could not spring good fortunes.

The late Lakers owner (Buss) and the late Lakers announcer (Hearn) once presided over a franchise accustomed to winning NBA championships. So much that Lakers legend James Worthy brought their respective bobbleheads here Tuesday for the NBA draft lottery at Best Buy Theatre in Times Square, hoping such symbolism would expedite the Lakers’ rebuilding.

But after the Lakers experienced their worst season in L.A. franchise history amid a rash of never-ending injuries, their string of bad luck continued. The Lakers dropped down a spot from sixth to seventh in the NBA draft lottery, an event that featured one winner that left nearly everyone here incredulous.

The Cleveland Cavaliers surpassed their 1.7-percent chance to jump from the ninth pick to the top overall selection, marking the franchise’s third No. 1 pick in the last four years. The rest of the draft order from second to 14 included the Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Magic, Utah Jazz, Boston Celtics, Lakers, Sacramento Kings, Charlotte Bobcats (from Detroit), Philadelphia 76ers, Denver Nuggets, Orlando Magic, Minnesota Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns.

“My heart was pounding a little bit when it got to eight,” said Worthy, the Lakers’ draft representative for only the franchise’s third appearance since the NBA draft lottery’s inception in 1985. “When we came up at seven, I said, ‘Damn.’ We’re not usually accustomed to being in the lottery. We have to roll with it.”

It seemed unlikely the Lakers would land a top pick, facing steep odds for the first (6.3 percent), second (7.09 percent) or third (8.1 percent) selections. The more likely scenario entailed the Lakers landing with either the sixth (43.99 percent) or seventh (30.44 percent) pick. Worthy also found some solace the Lakers did not drop either to eighth (3.96 percent) or ninth (.1), the lowest selection the team could fall based on the NBA draft lottery rules.

Worthy, who won three NBA championships with the Showtime Lakers, entered the lottery hopeful that both the Lakers would land with a top-three pick and use it to select Kansas center Joel Embiid. Worthy compared Embiid to a young Hakeem Olajuwon despite uncertainty surrounding a back injury.

“I would’ve loved the opportunity to get a tough center inside,” said Worthy, an analyst for Time Warner Cable SportsNet, the Lakers’ flagship station. “But I don’t think it’s going to be possible now.”

“It’s hard to say and know which players that teams will take. There are some good players over there,” Worthy said. “Mitch is looking for talent. Not so much a position or players they think they need. They’re looking for a talented player that can do a lot of things, that can play a lot of positions.”

That is because the Lakers will have 12 players of their 15-man roster become free agents in July, with Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash and Robert Sacre the lone players under contract for the 2014-15 season. But the Lakers’ low draft order could also complicate what Kupchak considered a possibility in trading the pick. Minnesota forward Kevin Love has sparked plenty of interest, but the Lakers have very few assets to offer.

“It’s hard to say what general managers talk about on a daily basis,” Worthy said. “They’re very methodical and talk all the time. The seventh pick could be something the Lakers might want or it could be something they will give to get another player.”

Worthy then offered some purple and gold optimism.

He touted “seven as a lucky number.” Worthy generally brought up how top draft picks have not always panned out, with Cleveland’s Anthony Bennett (2013), Greg Oden (2007) and Kwame Brown (2001) serving as examples.

“It’s a deep draft,” Worthy said. “The Lakers will be methodical. They’ll think about it and will make the right move. Even though we didn’t get the opportunity to be in the top three, we’ll make the best of this situation.”

Worthy did that by relishing his draft representative role and interacting with a handful of prospects, including Wiggins, Embiid, Smart and Syracuse guard Tyler Ennis.

“I tried to lend some advice,” Worthy said, “on how to start the season, be slow to speak and eager to listen.”

Still, just before he headed out of a place that seems so foreign to the Lakers, Worthy offered a thought that was left hanging in the air.